The first part of the book presentations was today. I wasn’t present for the discussion and by reading the blogs from my peers I am disappointed I missed that first part of class. It sounds like the discussion was very impactful and deeply connected with everyone. I would have loved to be a part of that. It is true that happiness is a choice you make, but sometimes life becomes too difficult and you become overwhelmed. I think that throughout the years and from all my experiences thus far I am just beginning my journey into true self happiness and figuring out what that mean to me and my life. I am discovering what my boundaries are, learning to not be too hard on myself and truly allowing myself to follow the path that brings happiness and love into my life – this also includes removing negative and toxic habits or people from my life. Before I never really focused on my emotional or mental health. I never thought about I just lived my life, but now that I am older, I understand how that correlates with everything in my life and especially my happiness and how I perceive life. After the presentation, we gathered in our HAP groups to discuss the logistics of our projects and checked in with everyone to see what else needs to be done. For our art gallery space has been a huge obstacle. Since everything is booked way in advance, we are having trouble booking a space for the event. We might have to resort to only presenting at the poster event, but we are still on the search. Also gathering all the Oral History projects have been a bit tricky but we are hoping that by the end of next week we get everything together so all we will need is to put our poster together.
This week I wasn’t able to attend the LEG at Casa. I was having a difficult time getting my school schedule in order. I had to pick up a course I was planning on taking over the summer and it just threw me for a loop. However, reading over some of the blogs from my peers it seems like they had a good experience and acquired great some life stories. One of my peers wrote about one of the residents, Ed, at Casa being present and capturing images during the Pearl Harbor attack in Hawaii. Ed was in the Navy and during his time he trained as was eventually able to land aircrafts on moving carriers! Another story that I enjoyed was regarding Mrs. Deetta. She was a mother to 9 children and a special needs teacher for 25 years. Deetta mentions that has traveled all 7 continents and all states in the U.S. except for North Dakota. I find that to be truly amazing! Traveling is something that I am trying to incorporate more into my life! Life is so short, and we need to experience it and enjoy it every second that we can. It is truly amazing to look back at one’s life and reminisce on all the amazing things a great experience one has had. Most things we never imagine would every happen to us, but they end up happening anyway. No one truly ever knows where the path of life might take them and that is terrifying but also so amazing because all things are very possible in this life!
This week we returned to Bayside and had the opportunity to converse with some of the elders there. The woman we talked to was named Tammy. She was so lovely to talked to and was really enjoying telling us about her life back in the Philippines. She mentioned that when she was around 20 years old, she had the opportunity to meet the first lady of the Philippines when she came to her village. The excitement in her face and while she was telling us this story still shows how impactful that interaction was to her. She describes it as such an overwhelming feeling, a surreal feeling because she had only seen her on the television and to meet someone in person that you admire so much and hold in such high regard was a honor for her. Also, she mentioned that she used to work at this antique store for many years and her boss would sponsor her to travel around the world just so she could experience it. Tammy says, that those were some of her best experiences, she had the opportunity to see so many beautiful places. Also, that her boss made her place lots of cash inside her coat in one instance, so she wouldn’t lose the money if it was in her purse or get it stolen. She mentions being so nervous walking around with that much cash inside her coat. Later she adds that the reason as to why she come to the United States was due to her husband. She came to the US and she soon followed suit because she could leave her husband behind, even if she was comfortable with her living situation in the Philippines. I was so amazed to hear about the type of boss she had! She also says that he would just present her with gifts, such as purses or things of that nature, randomly. I told her if I ever had a boss like that, I would NEVER leave that place! I mean who wouldn’t want a job that is that good and you can travel for free?! We also got to share our experiences of, “like at 20.” My life was much different than Tammy’s and so different than it is today. It is so insane just how much life can change in such a short amount of time, and especially how fast time flies by! Sometimes I wish I could re-live some moments in my life so I could appreciate and feel them more deeply. Now, I want to travel to the Philippines and experience everything about the country! Tammy says it’s so beautiful and definitely worth it.
It’s a start of a new quarter and our final quarter for the LCS program. Returning to campus has been a little difficult considering that winter quarter was such a busy and draining quarter for me. Spring break came and went so fast! However, I am excited to see what this quarter has in store for all of us. Especially in regard to our HAP projects. Everyone is working on such amazing projects that I can’t wait to witness and participate in them all. The project that I will be working on is the Oral History art gallery. We want to display some of the projects completed by current and previous LCS’s to the public and show the resilience, hard work, personal struggles and achievements some of our EPs have faced. I think it is such a great project because it gives inspiration and it shows that we all go through our own personal trials and tribulations but there is always a light at the end of the tunnel! Life always has its own special way of placing you exactly in the place you are supposed to be.
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Bianca NavarroWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
June 2019
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